Pam Craig loves teaching. The Farnham Elementary fourth-grade teacher has worked in a classroom off and on since 1988 when she was in college. She worked as an instructional aide until she got her degree and certificate and as a substitute while raising her two kids.

She’s been back in the classroom full time since 2009. Over the years she’s taught kindergarten, third and fourth grades and for the past three years, fourth grade at Farnham.

Several weeks ago, Craig received the surprise of her life during a regular Friday assembly when Symetra, Wells Fargo and the San Francisco 49ers honored her as a Hero in the Classroom. The annual award is given to 16 Bay Area teachers, two at each of the 49ers’ home games.

Earlier that morning she noted a strange man on campus when she came to school. “He was taking pictures. I went to the office and told them, but they said he was OK; he’d been in the office. He was at the assembly, too, taking pictures.”

When she learned that she was being honored as a Hero in the Classroom, she was shocked. She later learned that Nancy Donaldson, the mother of two children she’d taught, had nominated her.

“When Pam Craig walks into a classroom, her smile lights up the room. She has an old-school way of teaching, but has no problem with change. She’s always looking for improvements when it comes to keeping kids interested and engaged in learning,” Nancy Donaldson told Symetra.

Donaldson said Craig encourages all of her students to do their best and allocates much of her own time to help them do so. “She uses her own money to help the kids get supplies or projects the school can’t provide. She works hard simply because she loves teaching–and she’s outstanding at getting her students to try harder,” Donaldson said in her nomination.

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was 6,” Craig says. Her mother also was a teacher and provided Craig with her inspiration.

The assembly honoring Craig included the 49er cheerleaders and a huge banner. “A gentleman started talking about heroes in education, he said my name and I was stunned. The kids all cheered,” she said amazed that she was receiving the award.

As part of her award, Craig will receive $1,000 for classroom books and supplies. She plans to sit down with Farnham administration to decide what the school needs.

In addition, she received two tickets to and was honored at halftime at the Sept. 14 home opener for the 49ers. She got to wear a 49er jersey and received a football signed by Anquan Boldin, a 49er wide receiver. The gift also included a Heroes Award certificate and a pregame VIP sideline experience, she said.

“I took my son–a sophomore at Branham High–to the game. We took the light rail and had no problems. We even got 50 vouchers for the gift shop and got to meet with a bunch of the former players and see their Super Bowl rings. Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark were there,” Craig said.

Anyone can nominate a teacher as a Hero. “Winners are selected based on their ability to make a real difference in students’ lives, to go above and beyond in their day-to-day responsibilities and to help students build life skills,” according to Symetra, a financial corporation based in Washington state.

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